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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Quiet-Sun Network Bright Point Phenomena With Sigmoidal Signatures, David L. Chesney, Hakeem M. Oluşeyi, Norton Brice Orange, Patrick R. Champey Dec 2015

Quiet-Sun Network Bright Point Phenomena With Sigmoidal Signatures, David L. Chesney, Hakeem M. Oluşeyi, Norton Brice Orange, Patrick R. Champey

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Ubiquitous solar atmospheric coronal and transition region bright points (BPs) are compact features overlying strong concentrations of magnetic flux. Here, we utilize high-cadence observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory to provide the first observations of extreme ultraviolet quietSun (QS) network BP activity associated with sigmoidal structuring. To our knowledge, this previously unresolved fine structure has never been associated with such small-scale QS events. This QS event precedes a bi-directional jet in a compact, low-energy, and low-temperature environment, where evidence is found in support of the typical fan-spine magnetic field topology. As in active regions …


The Rate Of Core Collapse Supernovae To Redshift 2.5 From The Candels And Clash Supernova Surveys, Louis-Gregory Strolger, Tomas Dahlen, Steven A. Rodney, Or Graur, Adam G. Riess, Curtis Mccully, Swara Ravindranath, Bahram Mobasher, A Kristin Shahady Nov 2015

The Rate Of Core Collapse Supernovae To Redshift 2.5 From The Candels And Clash Supernova Surveys, Louis-Gregory Strolger, Tomas Dahlen, Steven A. Rodney, Or Graur, Adam G. Riess, Curtis Mccully, Swara Ravindranath, Bahram Mobasher, A Kristin Shahady

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey and Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble multi-cycle treasury programs with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have provided new opportunities to probe the rate of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) at high redshift, now extending to z ≈ 2.5. Here we use a sample of approximately 44 CCSNe to determine volumetric rates, RCC, in six redshift bins in the range 0.1< z < 2.5. Together with rates from our previous HST program, and rates from the literature, we trace a more complete history of RCC (z) , with RCC = 0.72 ± 0.06 yr-1 Mpc-3 10-4 h3 70 at z < 0.08, and increasing to 3.7-1.6 +3.1 yr-1 Mpc-3 10-4 h3 70 to Z ≈ 2.0. The statistical precision in each bin is several factors better than than the systematic error, with significant contributions from host extinction, and average peak absolute magnitudes of the assumed luminosity functions for CCSN types. Assuming negligible time delays from stellar formation to explosion, we find these composite CCSN rates to be in excellent agreement with cosmic star formation rate density (SFRs) derived largely from dust-corrected rest-frame UV emission, with a scaling factor of k = 0.0091 ± 0.0017 M⊙ -1, and inconsistent (to >95% confidence) with SFRs from IR luminous galaxies, or with SFR models that include simple evolution in the initial mass function over time. This scaling factor is expected if the fraction of …


Stochastic Acceleration Of Galactic Cosmic Rays By Compressible Plasma Fluctuations In Supernova Shells, Ming Zhang Oct 2015

Stochastic Acceleration Of Galactic Cosmic Rays By Compressible Plasma Fluctuations In Supernova Shells, Ming Zhang

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A theory of 2-stage acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays in supernova remnants is proposed. The first stage is accomplished by the supernova shock front, where a power-law spectrum is established up to a certain cutoff energy. It is followed by stochastic acceleration with compressible waves/turbulence in the downstream medium. With a broad ∝k^(-2) spectrum for the compressible plasma fluctuations, the rate of stochastic acceleration is constant over a wide range of particle momentum. In this case, the stochastic acceleration process extends the power-law spectrum cutoff energy of Galactic cosmic rays to the knee without changing the spectral slope. This situation …


Observations Of An Energetically Isolated Quiet Sun Transient: Evidence Of Quasi-Steady Coronal Heating, Norton Brice Orange, David L. Chesney, Hakeem M. Oluseyi Sep 2015

Observations Of An Energetically Isolated Quiet Sun Transient: Evidence Of Quasi-Steady Coronal Heating, Norton Brice Orange, David L. Chesney, Hakeem M. Oluseyi

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Increasing evidence for coronal heating contributions from cooler solar atmospheric layers, notably quiet Sun (QS) conditions, challenges standard solar atmospheric descriptions of bright transition region (TR) emission. As such, questions about the role of dynamic QS transients in contributing to the total coronal energy budget are raised. Using observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Heliosemic Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and numerical model extrapolations of coronal magnetic fields, we investigate a dynamic QS transient that is energetically isolated to the TR and extrudes from a common footpoint shared with two heated loop arcades. A non-causal relationship …


Chang-Es V: Nuclear Outflow In A Virgo Cluster Spiral After A Tidal Disruption Event, Judith A. Irwin, Richard N. Henriksen, Marita Krause, Daniel Q. Wang, Theresa Wiegert, Eric J. Murphy, George Heald, Eric S. Perlman Aug 2015

Chang-Es V: Nuclear Outflow In A Virgo Cluster Spiral After A Tidal Disruption Event, Judith A. Irwin, Richard N. Henriksen, Marita Krause, Daniel Q. Wang, Theresa Wiegert, Eric J. Murphy, George Heald, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We have observed the Virgo Cluster spiral galaxy, NGC 4845, at 1.6 and 6 GHz using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, as part of the Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies—an EVLA Survey (CHANG-ES). The source consists of a bright unresolved core with a surrounding weak central disk (1.8 kpc diameter). The core is variable over the 6 month timescale of the CHANG-ES data and has increased by a factor of ≈6 since 1995. The wide bandwidths of CHANG-ES have allowed us to determine the spectral evolution of this core, which peaks between 1.6 and 6 GHz (it is …


Kepler 453 B - The 10th Kepler Transiting Circumbinary Planet, William F. Welsh, Darin Ragozzine Aug 2015

Kepler 453 B - The 10th Kepler Transiting Circumbinary Planet, William F. Welsh, Darin Ragozzine

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present the discovery of Kepler-453 b, a 6.2 RƟ planet in a low-eccentricity, 240.5 day orbit about an eclipsing binary. The binary itself consists of a 0.94 and 0.195 M☉ pair of stars with an orbital period of 27.32 days. The plane of the planetʼs orbit is rapidly precessing, and its inclination only becomes sufficiently aligned with the primary star in the latter portion of the Kepler data. Thus three transits are present in the second half of the light curve, but none of the three conjunctions that occurred during the first half of the light curve produced observable …


A Numerical Simulation Of Cosmic-Ray Modulation Near The Heliopause, Xi Luo, Ming Zhang, Marius S. Potgieter, Xueshang Feng, Nikolai V. Pogorelov Jul 2015

A Numerical Simulation Of Cosmic-Ray Modulation Near The Heliopause, Xi Luo, Ming Zhang, Marius S. Potgieter, Xueshang Feng, Nikolai V. Pogorelov

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Based on a hybrid galactic cosmic-ray transport model, which incorporated MHD global heliospheric data into Parker's cosmic-ray transport equation, we studied the behavior of the transport of galactic cosmic rays and the corresponding gradients in their flux near the heliopause (HP). We found that, (1) by increasing the ratio of the parallel diffusion coefficient to the perpendicular diffusion coefficient in the interstellar magnetic field of the outer heliosheath, the simulated radial flux near the HP increases as well. As the ratio multiplying factor reached 10^10, the radial flux experienced a sudden jump near the HP, similar to what Voyager 1 …


Optical Detection Of The Pictor A Jet And Tidal Tail: Evidence Against An Ic/Cmb Jet, Eric S. Gentry, Herman L. Marshall, Martin J. Hardcastle, Eric S. Perlman, Mark Birkinshaw, Diana M. Worrall, Emil Lenc, Aneta Siemiginowska, Claudia Megan Urry Jul 2015

Optical Detection Of The Pictor A Jet And Tidal Tail: Evidence Against An Ic/Cmb Jet, Eric S. Gentry, Herman L. Marshall, Martin J. Hardcastle, Eric S. Perlman, Mark Birkinshaw, Diana M. Worrall, Emil Lenc, Aneta Siemiginowska, Claudia Megan Urry

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

New images of the FR II radio galaxy Pictor A from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal a previously undiscovered tidal tail, as well as a number of jet knots coinciding with a known X-ray and radio jet. The tidal tail is approximately 5″ wide (3 kpc projected), starting 18″ (12 kpc) from the center of Pictor A, and extends more than 90″ (60 kpc). The knots are part of a jet observed to be about 4′ (160 kpc) long, extending to a bright hotspot. These images are the first optical detections of this jet, and by extracting knot flux densities …


The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g): Stellar Masses, Sizes, And Radial Profiles For 2352 Nearby Galaxies, Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mateos, Kartik Sheth, Michael Regan, Trisha Mizusawa Jul 2015

The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g): Stellar Masses, Sizes, And Radial Profiles For 2352 Nearby Galaxies, Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mateos, Kartik Sheth, Michael Regan, Trisha Mizusawa

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies is a volume, magnitude, and size-limited survey of 2352 nearby galaxies with deep imaging at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. In this paper, we describe our surface photometry pipeline and showcase the associated data products that we have released to the community. We also identify the physical mechanisms leading to different levels of central stellar mass concentration for galaxies with the same total stellar mass. Finally, we derive the local stellar mass–size relation at 3.6 μm for galaxies of different morphologies. Our radial profiles reach stellar mass surface densities below ~1 M pc-2 …


The Event Horizon Of M87, Avery E. Broderick, Ramesh Narayan, John Kormendy, Eric S. Perlman, Marcia J. Rieke, Sheperd S. Doleman Jun 2015

The Event Horizon Of M87, Avery E. Broderick, Ramesh Narayan, John Kormendy, Eric S. Perlman, Marcia J. Rieke, Sheperd S. Doleman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The 6 x 10⁹ M⊙ supermassive black hole at the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 powers a relativistic jet. Observations at millimeter wavelengths with the Event Horizon Telescope have localized the emission from the base of this jet to angular scales comparable to the putative black hole horizon. The jet might be powered directly by an accretion disk or by electromagnetic extraction of the rotational energy of the black hole. However, even the latter mechanism requires a confining thick accretion disk to maintain the required magnetic flux near the black hole. Therefore, regardless of the jet mechanism, the …


Ruling Out Ic/Cmb X-Rays In Pks 0637-752 And The Implications For Tev Emission From Large-Scale Quasar Jets, Eileen T. Meyer, Markos Georganopoulos, William B. Sparks, Leith E.H. Godfrey, James E.J. Lovell, Eric S. Perlman Jun 2015

Ruling Out Ic/Cmb X-Rays In Pks 0637-752 And The Implications For Tev Emission From Large-Scale Quasar Jets, Eileen T. Meyer, Markos Georganopoulos, William B. Sparks, Leith E.H. Godfrey, James E.J. Lovell, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The Chandra X-ray observatory has discovered dozens of resolved, kiloparsec-scale jets associated with powerful quasars in which the X-ray fluxes are observed to be much higher than the expected level based on the radio-optical synchrotron spectrum. The most popular explanation for the anomalously high and hard X-ray fluxes is that these jets do not decelerate significantly by the kiloparsec scale, but rather remain highly relativistic (Lorentz factors ). By adopting a small angle to the line of sight, the X-rays can thus be explained by inverse Compton upscattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons (IC/CMB), where the observed emission is …


Search For Vector-Like T Quarks Decaying To Top Quarks And Higgs Bosons In The All-Hadronic Channel Using Jet Substructure, Cms Collaboration, V. Khachatryan, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva Jun 2015

Search For Vector-Like T Quarks Decaying To Top Quarks And Higgs Bosons In The All-Hadronic Channel Using Jet Substructure, Cms Collaboration, V. Khachatryan, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search is performed for a vector-like heavy T quark that is produced in pairs and that decays to a top quark and a Higgs boson. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1 collected with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at s=8" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; text-wrap: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative;">�=8 TeV. For T quarks with large mass values the top quarks and Higgs bosons can have significant Lorentz …


New Constraints On Quantum Gravity From X-Ray And Gamma-Ray Observations, Eric S. Perlman, Saul A. Rappaport, Wayne A. Christiansen, Yeejack Ng, John G. Devore, David A. Pooley May 2015

New Constraints On Quantum Gravity From X-Ray And Gamma-Ray Observations, Eric S. Perlman, Saul A. Rappaport, Wayne A. Christiansen, Yeejack Ng, John G. Devore, David A. Pooley

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

One aspect of the quantum nature of spacetime is its “foaminess” at very small scales. Many models for spacetime foam are defined by the accumulation power α, which parameterizes the rate at which Planck-scale spatial uncertainties (and the phase shifts they produce) may accumulate over large path lengths. Here α is defined by the expression for the path-length fluctuations, dℓ, of a source at distance ℓ, wherein dℓ  ℓ1-aℓ a P , with ℓP being the Planck length. We reassess previous proposals to use astronomical observations of distant quasars and active galactic nuclei to test models of spacetime foam. …


Searches For Supersymmetry Using The M T2 Variable In Hadronic Events Produced In Pp Collisions At 8 Tev, Cms Collaboration, V. Khachatryan, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva May 2015

Searches For Supersymmetry Using The M T2 Variable In Hadronic Events Produced In Pp Collisions At 8 Tev, Cms Collaboration, V. Khachatryan, A. M. Sirunyan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are performed using a sample of hadronic events produced in 8 TeV pp collisions at the CERN LHC. The searches are based on the M T2 variable, which is a measure of the transverse momentum imbalance in an event. The data were collected with the CMS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 fb−1. Two related searches are performed. The first is an inclusive search based on signal regions defined by the value of the M T2 variable, the hadronic energy in the event, the jet multiplicity, and the number of jets …


A Study Of Thunderstorm Microphysical Properties And Lightning Flash Counts Associated With Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes, D. E. Barnes, Michael E. Splitt, Joseph R. Dwyer, Steven M. Lazarus, David M. Smith, Hamid K. Rassoul Apr 2015

A Study Of Thunderstorm Microphysical Properties And Lightning Flash Counts Associated With Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes, D. E. Barnes, Michael E. Splitt, Joseph R. Dwyer, Steven M. Lazarus, David M. Smith, Hamid K. Rassoul

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The terrestrial gamma ray flash (TGF) is an emission of highly energetic radiation produced by or at least in close association with lightning. Previous investigations attempted to isolate the production mechanisms and production altitude(s) of TGFs as well as macrophysical characteristics, while thunderstorm microphysical characteristics were largely ignored. This investigation into thunderstorms and their hydrometeor and flash characteristics utilize temporal and spatial coincident satellite passes between the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to determine the bulk (or footprint) microphysical properties of two types of study events, the thunderstorm complexes which are associated …


The Differences In The Torus Geometry Between Hidden And Non-Hidden Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei, Kohei Ichikawa, Eric S. Perlman Apr 2015

The Differences In The Torus Geometry Between Hidden And Non-Hidden Broad Line Active Galactic Nuclei, Kohei Ichikawa, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present results from the fitting of infrared (IR) spectral energy distributions of 21 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with clumpy torus models. We compiled high spatial resolution (∼0.3–0.7 arcsec) mid-IR (MIR) N-band spectroscopy, Q-band imaging, and nuclear near- and MIR photometry from the literature. Combining these nuclear near- and MIR observations, far-IR photometry, and clumpy torus models enables us to put constraints on the torus properties and geometry. We divide the sample into three types according to the broad line region (BLR) properties: type-1s, type-2s with scattered or hidden broad line region (HBLR) previously observed, and type-2s without any published …


The Emergence Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables: Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, David M. Thomas, Matt A. Wood Apr 2015

The Emergence Of Negative Superhumps In Cataclysmic Variables: Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, David M. Thomas, Matt A. Wood

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Negative superhumps are believed to arise in cataclysmic variable systems when the accretion disk is tilted with respect to the orbital plane. Slow retrograde precession of the line-of-nodes results in a signal—the negative superhump—with a period slightly less than the orbital period. Previous studies have shown that tilted disks exhibit negative superhumps, but a consensus on how a disk initially tilts has not been reached. Analytical work by Lai (1999, ApJ, 524, 1030) suggests that a magnetic field on the primary can lead to a tilt instability in a disk when the dipole moment is offset in angle from the …


A Classical Morphological Analysis Of Galaxies In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g), Ronald J. Buta, Trisha Mizusawa Apr 2015

A Classical Morphological Analysis Of Galaxies In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S4g), Ronald J. Buta, Trisha Mizusawa

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G) is the largest available database of deep, homogeneous middle-infrared (mid-IR) images of galaxies of all types. The survey, which includes 2352 nearby galaxies, reveals galaxy morphology only minimally affected by interstellar extinction. This paper presents an atlas and classifications of S4G galaxies in the Comprehensive de Vaucouleurs revised Hubble-Sandage (CVRHS) system. The CVRHS system follows the precepts of classical de Vaucouleurs morphology, modified to include recognition of other features such as inner, outer, and nuclear lenses, nuclear rings, bars, and disks, spheroidal galaxies, X patterns and box/peanut structures, OLR subclass outer …


Spitzer Space Telescope Measurements Of Dust Reverberation Lags In The Seyfert 1 Galaxy Ngc 6418, Billy Vazquez, Dan Batcheldor Mar 2015

Spitzer Space Telescope Measurements Of Dust Reverberation Lags In The Seyfert 1 Galaxy Ngc 6418, Billy Vazquez, Dan Batcheldor

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present results from a 15 month campaign of high-cadence (∼3 days) mid-infrared Spitzer and optical (B and V) monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 6418, with the objective of determining the characteristic size of the dusty torus in this active galactic nucleus (AGN). We find that the 3.6 and 4.5 μm flux variations lag behind those of the optical continuum by 37.2 ^+2.4 _-2.2 days and -47.1 ^+3.1 _-3.1 days, respectively. We report a cross-correlation time lag between the 4.5 and 3.6 μm flux of 13.9 ^+0.5 _-0.1 days. The lags indicate that the dust emitting at 3.6 …


The Nuclear Near-Infrared Spectral Properties Of Nearby Galaxies, Rachel E. Mason, Eric S. Perlman Mar 2015

The Nuclear Near-Infrared Spectral Properties Of Nearby Galaxies, Rachel E. Mason, Eric S. Perlman

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We present spectra of the nuclear regions of 50 nearby (D = 1-92 Mpc, median = 20 Mpc) galaxies of morphological types E to Sm. The spectra, obtained with the Gemini Near-IR Spectrograph on the Gemini North telescope, cover a wavelength range of approximately 0.85-2.5 μm at R ∼ 1300-1800. There is evidence that most of the galaxies host an active galactic nucleus (AGN), but the range of AGN luminosities (log (L2 - 10 kev [erg s-1]) = 37.0-43.2) in the sample means that the spectra display a wide variety of features. Some nuclei, especially the Seyferts, exhibit a rich …


An Ancient Extrasolar System With Five Sub-Earth-Size Planets, Tiago L. Campante, Darin Ragozzine Feb 2015

An Ancient Extrasolar System With Five Sub-Earth-Size Planets, Tiago L. Campante, Darin Ragozzine

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The chemical composition of stars hosting small exoplanets (with radii less than four Earth radii) appears to be more diverse than that of gas-giant hosts, which tend to be metal-rich. This implies that small, including Earth-size, planets may have readily formed at earlier epochs in the universe's history when metals were more scarce. We report Kepler spacecraft observations of Kepler-444, a metal-poor Sun-like star from the old population of the Galactic thick disk and the host to a compact system of five transiting planets with sizes between those of Mercury and Venus. We validate this system as a true five-planet …


The Mass Profile And Shape Of Bars In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S⁴G): Search For An Age Indicator For Bars, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa Jan 2015

The Mass Profile And Shape Of Bars In The Spitzer Survey Of Stellar Structure In Galaxies (S⁴G): Search For An Age Indicator For Bars, Taehyun Kim, Trisha Mizusawa

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We have measured the radial light profiles and global shapes of bars using two-dimensional 3.6μm image decompositions for 144 face-on barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. The bar surface brightness profile is correlated with the stellar mass and bulge-to-total (B/T) ratio of their host galaxies. Bars in massive and bulge-dominated galaxies (B/T > 0.2) show a flat profile, while bars in less massive, disk-dominated galaxies (B/T ∼ 0) show an exponential, disk-like profile with a wider spread in the radial profile than in the bulge-dominated galaxies. The global two-dimensional shapes of bars, however, are rectangular/boxy, independent …


Search For Vector-Like T Quarks Decaying To Top Quarks And Higgs Bosons In The All-Hadronic Channel Using Jet Substructure, Vardan Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, H. Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration Jan 2015

Search For Vector-Like T Quarks Decaying To Top Quarks And Higgs Bosons In The All-Hadronic Channel Using Jet Substructure, Vardan Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, H. Kalakhety, Francisco X. Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search is performed for a vector-like heavy T quark that is produced in pairs and that decays to a top quark and a Higgs boson. The data analyzed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1 collected with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at √s= 8 TeV. For T quarks with large mass values the top quarks and Higgs bosons can have significant Lorentz boosts, so that their individual decay products often overlap and merge. Methods are applied to resolve the substructure of such merged jets. Upper limits on the production cross section of a T quark with …


Spectral Properties Of Titan’S Impact Craters Imply Chemical Weathering Of Its Surface, Catherine D. Neish Jan 2015

Spectral Properties Of Titan’S Impact Craters Imply Chemical Weathering Of Its Surface, Catherine D. Neish

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

We examined the spectral properties of a selection of Titan's impact craters that represent a range of degradation states. The most degraded craters have rims and ejecta blankets with spectral characteristics that suggest that they are more enriched in water ice than the rims and ejecta blankets of the freshest craters on Titan. The progression is consistent with the chemical weathering of Titan's surface. We propose an evolutionary sequence such that Titan's craters expose an intimate mixture of water ice and organic materials, and chemical weathering by methane rainfall removes the soluble organic materials, leaving the insoluble organics and water …


Shock Interaction With One-Dimensional Array Of Particles In Air, P. Sridharan, Thomas L. Jackson, J. Zhang, S. Balachandar Jan 2015

Shock Interaction With One-Dimensional Array Of Particles In Air, P. Sridharan, Thomas L. Jackson, J. Zhang, S. Balachandar

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present axisymmetric numerical simulations of shock propagation in air over an aluminum particle for Mach numbers up to 10. The numerical method is a finite-volume based solver on a Cartesian grid that allows for multi-material interfaces and shocks. Validation of the solver is demonstrated by comparing to existing experimental data. We compute the unsteady inviscid drag coefficient as a function of time, and show that when normalized by post-shock conditions, the maximum drag coefficient decreases with Mach number. Furthermore, for supercritical Mach numbers, we show that the inviscid steady-state drag asymptotes to a non-zero value due …


Evidence For Transverse-Momentum- And Pseudorapidity-Dependent Event-Plane Fluctuations In Pbpb And P Pb Collisions, Vardan Khachatryan, Vallary Bhopatkar, Marcus Hohlmann, H. Kalakhety, D. Mareskas-Palcek, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration Jan 2015

Evidence For Transverse-Momentum- And Pseudorapidity-Dependent Event-Plane Fluctuations In Pbpb And P Pb Collisions, Vardan Khachatryan, Vallary Bhopatkar, Marcus Hohlmann, H. Kalakhety, D. Mareskas-Palcek, Tuhin S. Roy, Francisco X. Yumiceva, Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A systematic study of the factorization of long-range azimuthal two-particle correlations into a product of single-particle anisotropies is presented as a function of pT and η of both particles and as a function of the particle multiplicity in PbPb and pPb collisions. The data were taken with the CMS detector for PbPb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV and pPb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV, covering a very wide range of multiplicity. Factorization is observed to be broken as a function of both particle pT and η. When measured with particles of different pT, the magnitude of the factorization breakdown for the second …


Centrality Dependence Of Low-Momentum Direct-Photon Production In Au+Au Collisions At √Snn =200 Gev, Andrew Marshall Adare, Gyöngyi Baksay, László A. Baksay, Marcus Hohlmann, Phenix Collaboration Jan 2015

Centrality Dependence Of Low-Momentum Direct-Photon Production In Au+Au Collisions At √Snn =200 Gev, Andrew Marshall Adare, Gyöngyi Baksay, László A. Baksay, Marcus Hohlmann, Phenix Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has measured the centrality dependence of the direct photon yield from Au+Au collisions at √sNN=200 GeV down to pT=0.4 GeV/c. Photons are detected via photon conversions to e+e- pairs and an improved technique is applied that minimizes the systematic uncertainties that usually limit direct photon measurements, in particular at low pT. We find an excess of direct photons above the Ncoll-scaled yield measured in p+p collisions. This excess yield is well described by an exponential distribution with an inverse slope of about 240MeV/c in the pT range 0.6-2.0 GeV/c. While the shape of the pT …


Effects Of Small Thundercloud Electrostatic Fields On The Ionospheric Density Profile, Mohammad A. Salem, Ningyu Liu, Hamid K. Rassoul Jan 2015

Effects Of Small Thundercloud Electrostatic Fields On The Ionospheric Density Profile, Mohammad A. Salem, Ningyu Liu, Hamid K. Rassoul

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

Small electrostatic fields of values not strong enough to activate electron impact ionization, attachment, and detachment processes can be established in the upper atmosphere by underlying thunderstorms. This paper investigates their effects on the ionospheric densities by using a simplified ion chemistry model. The modeling results indicate that under the steady state condition, the nighttime electron density profile can be reduced by up to ∼40% or enhanced by a factor of up to ∼6 because of the variation of the three-body electron attachment rate constant with the electric field.


High-Altitude Electrical Discharges Associated With Thunderstorms And Lightning, Ningyu Liu, Matthew G. Mcharg, Hans C. Stenbaek-Nielsen Jan 2015

High-Altitude Electrical Discharges Associated With Thunderstorms And Lightning, Ningyu Liu, Matthew G. Mcharg, Hans C. Stenbaek-Nielsen

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to introduce electrical discharge phenomena known as transient luminous events above thunderstorms to the lightning protection community. Transient luminous events include the upward electrical discharges from thunderstorms known as starters, jets, and gigantic jets, and electrical discharges initiated in the lower ionosphere such as sprites, halos, and elves. We give an overview of these phenomena with a focus on starters, jets, gigantic jets, and sprites, because similar to ordinary lightning, streamers and leaders are basic components of these four types of transient luminous events. We present a few recent observations to illustrate their main …


Search For Physics Beyond The Standard Model In Events With Two Leptons, Jets, And Missing Transverse Momentum In Pp Collisions At √S= 8 Tev, Vardan Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration Jan 2015

Search For Physics Beyond The Standard Model In Events With Two Leptons, Jets, And Missing Transverse Momentum In Pp Collisions At √S= 8 Tev, Vardan Khachatryan, Marc M. Baarmand, Marcus Hohlmann, Himali Kalakhety, Francisco Yumiceva, The Cms Collaboration

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model in final states with two opposite-sign same-flavor leptons, jets, and missing transverse momentum. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.4 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √S= 8 TeV collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2012. The analysis focuses on searches for a kinematic edge in the invariant mass distribution of the oppositesign same-flavor lepton pair and for final states with an on-shell Z boson. The observations are consistent with expectations from standard model processes and are interpreted in terms of upper limits on …